Лідія

LIDIIA FESENKO
[open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section) | [open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section) | Kyiv, Ukraine | LinkedIn

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
International development and public policy professional with over 10 years of experience in
programme coordination, institutional cooperation, and stakeholder engagement across the public,
international, and civil society sectors. Experienced in managing multi-stakeholder initiatives,
supporting reform processes, and building partnerships between government institutions, international
organisations, donors, and local communities. Skilled in strategic communications, policy support, and
cross-sector collaboration, with a particular focus on Ukraine’s recovery, democratic development, and
European integration.

WORK EXPERIENCE
UNICEF | Kyiv, Ukraine September 2025 – Present
Donor Relations and Communications Expert, WASH Section
• Supported the establishment and institutional development of the Water Supply and
Wastewater Reform Office under the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development
of Ukraine.
• Coordinate engagement between UNICEF, international partners, relevant Ministry
departments, and water sector stakeholders to support utility capacity development
initiatives.
• Coordinate the development and implementation of information and communication
campaigns focused on water, energy efficiency, climate resilience, and sustainable
development.
• Work with analytical and policy documents related to water supply, district heating, climate
resilience, and sectoral development.
• Support sector preparedness for EU integration, including alignment with the EU acquis and
cross-sector coordination.

National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance of Ukraine January 2019 – Present
Kyiv, Ukraine
Board Member
• Contribute to decision-making processes related to the accreditation of academic
programmes and the institutional capacity assessment of higher education institutions.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of state policy in the field of higher
education quality assurance.
• Serve on the selection commission for Sectoral Expert Councils; approximately 3,500
candidates have been evaluated as part of the selection process.
• Participate in the Ethics Committee, which reviews cases related to academic integrity and
reputational risks in academic and educational activities.
• Represent the Agency through public speaking, training sessions, lectures, and media
engagement on higher education quality assurance and academic integrity.
International Republican Institute | Kyiv, Ukraine December 2020 – May 2025
Senior Program Associate September 2022 – May 2025
• Coordinated programmes focused on civic education, youth policy, and democratic institution
development within the UNITY and the USAID Program “RADA: Next Generation” (RANG).
• Developed and launched the civic education handbook “Civic Education: How to Implement It
in Practice”, which engaged approximately 4,000 users and was presented in Kyiv, Poltava, Lviv,
and Ivano-Frankivsk.
• Designed and implemented a political debate initiative in 9 Ukrainian communities aimed at
strengthening civic participation and political awareness among young people.
• Coordinated engagement with local communities, programme participants, and regional
partners across Ukraine.
• Coordinated grant cooperation with the NGO “Ukrainian Association of Youth Councils” within
initiatives focused on strengthening youth representation and the institutional capacity of youth
councils in different regions of Ukraine.
• Represented the Institute at public events, discussions, and professional platforms focused on
civic education, youth policy, and democratic development.
• Collaborated with parliamentary political factions on institutional development and
strengthening engagement with constituents.
• Prepared programme reporting and technical documentation and contributed to programme
coordination and implementation processes.

Program Assistant December 2020 – August 2022
• Organised and coordinated the UNITY civic education working group, bringing together NGOs,
international organisations, experts, government representatives, and civic education
initiatives.
• Contributed to the development of a practical civic education handbook.
• Coordinated grant cooperation with the NGO “Ukrainian Leadership Academy”, within which 12
civic education workshops were implemented in communities across Ukraine.
• Organised and coordinated educational and public events on civic education in Kyiv and
communities across different regions of Ukraine.
• Prepared programme reporting and technical documentation.

National Ukrainian Youth Association | Kyiv, Ukraine August 2019 – December 2021
Board Member
• Contributed to the institutional development of the organisation, including internal policy
development and strategic governance processes.
• Coordinated the organisation’s international engagement and contributed to the development of
youth policy at the national level.

European Students’ Union | Brussels, Belgium May 2019 – March 2021
Board Member
• Represented Ukraine within the European Higher Education Area and contributed to the
development of higher education policies and position papers.
• Collaborated with national student unions across Europe on higher education policy
development and the promotion of international practices in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Association of Students | Kyiv, Ukraine November 2016 – January 2020
President
• Led a national student organisation uniting student self-government bodies from all regions of
Ukraine and coordinated a team of approximately 40 representatives from 24 regions.
• Led the institutional development and capacity strengthening of the organisation, contributing
to the expansion of activities and the doubling of member organisations.
• Represented Ukrainian students at the national and international levels and developed
partnerships with government institutions, international organisations, and educational
stakeholders.
• Coordinated the organisation’s engagement with government bodies, parliamentary
stakeholders, and international partners in the areas of higher education policy and student
representation.
• Contributed to higher education policy development and promoted academic integrity and
student participation at the national level.
• Initiated and coordinated national educational and leadership programmes, including the
“UAS Student Active” programme implemented across 11 regions of Ukraine.
• Initiated the creation of the QA Pool – a network of student experts in higher education quality
assurance aimed at preparing students to participate in accreditation processes.

The Student Anti-corruption Agency | Kyiv, Ukraine March 2016 – May 2017
Board member & Kyiv Branch Coordinator
• Contributed to the organisational development of the initiative and coordinated activities
focused on student rights protection.
• Established and coordinated the Kyiv branch, bringing together representatives from
approximately 20 higher education institutions to work on issues related to academic integrity
and anti-corruption in higher education.

EDUCATION
Mykhailo Drahomanov Ukrainian State University | Kyiv, Ukraine September 2014 – June 2018
Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy

National Aviation University | Kyiv, Ukraine September 2018 – March 2020
Master’s Degree in Management
Programme delivered in English.

Leadership, Policy & Professional Development Programmes
Diplomatic Leadership Academy May – July 2025
Centre for Political Studies and Analytics “Eidos” in cooperation
with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

Intensive Programme with Dr. Dean Williams, Harvard University February 2019
«Leading in a Fractured World: How to Exercise Real Leadership
and Be an Agent of Change in a Dynamic, Shifting, and Volatile World»
Ukrainian Catholic University & UCU Business School (LvBS)
Higher School of Politics March – November 2018
Centre for Political Studies and Analytics “Eidos” in cooperation
with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom”

Yalta European Strategy (YES) September 2017
Victor Pinchuk Foundation

Open University of Reforms March – May 2016
Reanimation Package of Reforms (RPR)

Additional Information
Languages:
• Ukrainian – Native
• English – Advanced (C1)
• Italian – Elementary proficiency
• German – Elementary proficiency

Core Competencies:
• Programme and project coordination
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership development
• Strategic communications and public speaking
• Policy support and institutional cooperation
• Cross-sector coordination and governance processes
• Leadership and team coordination
• Analytical and strategic thinking
• Crisis response and risk management

Volunteering
• Since February 2022, organised fundraising initiatives in support of the Armed Forces of
Ukraine, raising approximately UAH 1,000,000.